Side Project (2018)

All I'm saying is, they had a great system a few months ago, releasing a few days early at the Cellar so you didn't have to stand in line for an hour or more. They seem to have abandoned that, and it rubs me the wrong way when guys are walking away with 18 bottles.

That's not taking care of locals when they announce it two weeks in advance and commit to selling out in 90 minutes.

Also, any comparison between one of the largest metros and a small-ish one is pointless. There are bigger lines in larger cities. And there are never lines if I drive out to Scratch or some BFE brewery. Next you'll tell me there's more traffic in Chicago, too.

 

They released early for Pitter Patter, which was the third to last release, and the only one that has sold out. It was still available for 2 weeks.

 

I think that's great. I think that's the type of thing that everyone wants to see. No one is complaining about that - it gets' glossed over because it appears to be the exception more than the rule.

I think the general hangup is discontinuity without clarity. That is, I'd be curious to know how many "regulars" that support SP live nearby, vs. how many drive 1hr+. If Cory's "as many hands as possible" refers mostly to locals, then you know what, I concede that having on-site offerings absolutely accomplishes this goal. However, if most people are not "truly" local, and most people have to drive in, then it only makes sense that his statements refer to everyone that wants to visit, not just locals. In this case, yea, to go beers matter to people.

The people that can go all the time are never the ones that complain. (No one that's reaping the benefits ever really chimed in on any criticism until very recently.) They're the same people that have the ability to enjoy lots of onsite offerings, many/all of the to-go offerings, and many world-class beers over (because, face it, it's not like people are buying these all to drink, they're trading them).

And that's the issue I/us/we take issue - is if you know people are not drinking everything, and you want to get it into "as many hands as possible," why make allotments so large? Does everything sell out instantly? No, but why encourage selling out instantly on some of the more well-known releases? Imagine if Fuzzy had been limited to 2-3pp/week - imagine how many people might come down the following week (during the week when it is slower, or on the weekend) to buy a bottle. Oh, does that coincide with another release? Perfect. All the better.

Does he have to do this? No. Are there any objectively BAD reasons to argue against this? Not sure. Seems like lines wouldn't get longer, they'd get shorter, as you could possibly go any day any get something.

Does the world owe us anything? No, but that seems like a silly reason not to criticize policies that seem like they could be better.

A huge part of the last 2ish pages wasn't about Cory being an ass, or SP policies suck, or I want my whalzebrah, but about the fact that it could better, and that the same people that benefit appear to like to argue that there need to not be any criticism - or that the criticism is unfounded, or that everyone is whiney, or that we're all just entitled. Discussion should always happen. It's beyond me why some threads (there are others) feel as though that criticism should be shut down, and that discussion should not be encouraged. Seems like we've teased everything out enough. I've certainly said my piece.

 

The poster I was replying to said they abandoned that, and that isn’t necessarily true.

 

I could be having mixed memories, but I can't think of any release other than PN8 that was available to go that sold out the same day in quite some time. I could very well be missing something, but recent batches of Fuzzy and the recent Pitter Patter release both were available to go for the bulk of the week prior to the Saturday release at the Cellar.

I'm around there pretty frequently, at the Cellar at least, and anecdotally it's mostly folks who show up for a beer after work. Most days if I end up there for a while, there will be one or two folks who pop in from out of town, but I see a lot of the same St. Louis natives there.

I'm relatively certain Fuzzy was on sale for 4-5 days, mostly at the Cellar. I think you're right that the day it went for sale at the Brewery, it sold out that day, though.

There's certainly room for criticism everywhere, but I think it all boils down to what I think their mentality is: take care of locals and regulars. Make beer available early to folks who stop in for beer after work? Takes care of locals. Hold back a large amount of sought after beers for on-site consumption only? Take care of locals, let them not wait in big lines.

Have big weekend releases with large limits? Pretty standard in the modern beer world, unfortunately, and the kind of thing folks drive in town for. I don't really know how he can still take care of the folks who are there all the time while still making releases on Saturdays big enough that people don't drive for two hours to show up and get one bottle of beer after waiting in a big line.

 

Fuzzy was Saturday & Sunday only.

 

I must have been thinking of the previous batch, then.

 

Cory King > Chuck Norris?

 

Dude makes good beer but that's ridiculous.

 

Side Project’s Instagram story seems to hint the Raspe release is very soon. Possibly this weekend. Tried it on tap a few weeks ago and that raspberry flavor was delicious!

 

It’s most likely not this weekend, they usually do on site bottles for Father’s day.

 

I hope it's not this weekend....I got plans all day saturday!

 

Are you sure you had Raspe and you didn't have Raspberry Bière du Pays? I don't think Raspe has been available other than the membership bottles while Raspberry Bière du Pays has been on draft and then to-go...

 

Raspe was on tap at SARA

 

I had it on tap at SARA for their Side Project event. They also had SdF and BBT on tap too. That’s a good point about Father’s Day @Heisenbrew

 

Heard lots of peoples opinions from the midwest and STL/CHI locals about their opinion on BBT. What's your take, being (generally) exposed to different beers out there?

 

SARA?

 

Sante Adairius Rustic Ales. It's a brewery in California that makes some amazing stuff.

 

Raspe was a Society bottle as well. No, I'm not a member.

 

I really enjoyed BBT. Rich and bold, dessert-like, big full barrel flavor, and super smooth for the ABV. One of the top 3 adjunct-free BA stouts I’ve had.